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Mathematics book. Title page of a medieval book on mathematics. Image taken from the 1523 edition of Summa de Arithmetica, geometria, proportioni et proportionalita. This book was first published in 1494 by the Italian mathematician Paccioli (1445-1510), who was also known as Luca de Borgo. The Summa included many algebraic and geometrical developments and solutions. Paccioli had learnt much of the knowledge in the book whilst travelling in the Middle East at a time when the Arabs were more scientifically advanced than Europeans.